Feed-water heater



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. LEARMONTH.

FEED WATER HEATER.

No. 459,585. Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

WITNESSES IN VENT 0R ATTORNEY (No Model.). 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. R.LEARMONTH. FEED WATER HEATER.

Patented Sept. 15, 1891. a

WITNESSES ATTORNEY feed-water heaters and purifiers, and more UNITEDSTATES ATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT LEARMONTH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

FEED-WATER HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,585, datedSeptember 15, 1891.

Application filed February 28, 1891.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, ROBERT LEARMONTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Water Heaters andPurifiers for Locomotive-Boilers; and I do hereby declare the followingto be avfull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tofigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in particularly to that class offeed-water heaters and purifiers employed in connection withlocomotive-boilers.

Its object is to constructa feed-water heater and purifier apart fromthe boiler, but so arranged that it in no way obstructs the View of theengineer.

It consists of a short vertical cylinder opening into and resting upon ahorizontal semicylindrical chamber or jacket which is fitted over andrests upon the boiler. v

My invention further consists in a deflector or retaining-plate arrangedwithin the purifier, all of which I will now proceed to definitelydescribe and claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive equippedwith my improvement. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of my improved feed-water heater and purifier. Fig. 3 is an end view of the same. Fig. 4 isa longitudinal section taken through the line 00 w of Fig. 2, and Figs.5 and 6 are detail views.

Referring to the drawings,1 is the locomotive-boiler, to which I haveconnected my improved feed-water heater and purifier.

2 is the body of the purifier, consisting of the chambers orcompartments 3 and 4t. The chamber 3 is a short vertical cylinderopening into and resting upon the compartment or jacket 4. To the upperend of the chamber 3 are connected the water-supply pipe 5 andsteam-pipe 6. The water-supply pipe 5 leading from the injector isprovided with a cheek-valve 8 to prevent the steam or supply- Serial No.383,247. (No model.)

water from passing back to the injector and the steam-pipe 6 beingconnected to the steamdome of the boiler, as seen in Fig. 4, thus givingopen communication between the feedwater heater and purifier and thelive steam of the boiler.

Within the chamber 3 is arranged a series of spraying-plates 9, (adetail View of which is shown in Fig. 5,) which are so placed as to havethe water pass over them successively as it enters the purifier from thepipe 5, as seen in Fig. 4. Upon leaving the last or lower disk 9 itfalls into the chamber or jacket 4. This jacket 4, which forms the baseof the purifier and settling-chamber for the water, is of particularconfiguration, so as to enable it to be placed upon the boiler 1 of thelocomotive, as seen in the drawings, thus partially dividing thesettling-chamber into two parts, which extend downwardly on either sideof the boiler.

vA dividing wall or partition 10 is arranged within thesettling-chamber, dividing it into two compartments 11 and 12, and atthe end of the partition 10 is secured the deflector 13. Thisdeflecting-plate 13 (which is placed at an angle, as shown in thedrawings) consists of a series or metallic bars or strips set atsuitable distances apart and through which the water is made to pass inrising to its level on the opposite side of-the plate 10. This deflector13 materially assists in separating the foreign matter from the waterand forms an important feature to my invention.

Arranged within the compartment 3 and projecting into thesettling-chamber 4 below the water-level into the compartment 12 is theequalizing-tube 14. To this equalizingtube 14: is. connected thefeed-water-supply pipe 15, which is divided after leaving the purifierinto the supply-pipes 16 16, as seen in Fig. 3. These supply-pipes 16 16lead to the bottom of the boiler and are equipped with automaticshut-off valves 17, located in close proximity to the boiler, a detailof which is shown in Fig. 6.

It will be seen that. my feed-water heater and purifier, having itssettling-chamber or base constructed in conformity with the uppersection of the boiler, and the chamber 3 being centrally locatedthereon, will not obstruct the View of the engineer any more than itwould. otherwise be obstructed by the steam-dome.

When it is desired to'cleanse the purifier, the valves 18, located atthe lower ends of the settling-chambers, are opened, thus reducing thepressure in the purifier and causing the shut-off valves 17 17 to closeautomatically by the increased pressure of the boiler, and the livesteam passing from the dome is forced down through the purifier,striking against the upper side of the deflecting-plate, releasing allthe foreign matter which may have accumulated there and carrying it outthrough the valves 18, together with the water and sediment in the baseof the settling-chamber, as the valves 18 are closed and the pressure inthe purifier being again equal to that of the boiler the shut-off valves17 open by their own gravity.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A feed-water heater and purifier for locomotive-boilers, consistingof a chamber having open connection with the live steam of the boilerand having arranged in its upper portion a series of spraying-plates andits lower portion consisting of a settling-chamber, which is fitted overthe upper section of the boiler, dividing it into two sections, and adividing wall or partition 10, which partially subdivides each sectionof the settling-chamber, and having secured at the lower ends of thepartition 10 the deflectors 13, through which the water passes on itsway to the boiler.

. 2. A feed-Water heater and purifier for lo comotive-boilers,consisting of the sprayingchamber 3, centrally located upon and openinginto the chamber or jacket 4, said jacket having the subdivided Wall 10and deflectors 13, the equalizing-tube 14, extending from the chamber 3to a point below the water-level in the jacket 4, the feed-supply pipe16, having shut-off valve 17, leading from the equalizingtube to thebottom of the boiler, the steamsupply pipe 6, and Water-supply pipe 7,all arranged substantially as and for the purpose stated.

3. In a feed-Water heater and purifier, a deflecting-plate consisting ofa series of metallic strips or bars so arranged within a frame as toform a lattice-Work through which the water is made to pass in such amanner as to deflect the sediment to the bottom-of the purifier,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ROBERT LEARMONTH. WVitnesses:

' OTTO E. HODDICK,

CHAS. M. HARRINGTON.

